


The First "Old Time"

by Metal_Twitch



Category: Mass Effect - All Media Types, Mass Effect Trilogy
Genre: Adventure, Childhood, First Kiss, Loss of Parent(s), Mild Language, Spacer (Mass Effect)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-24
Updated: 2018-04-24
Packaged: 2019-04-27 04:27:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,806
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14417658
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Metal_Twitch/pseuds/Metal_Twitch
Summary: Teenage Garrus was on the Citadel to visit his father, but surprise, surprise work comes first.  Looking for something to do with his free time he spies a human girl climbing out of a window and is swept up in a short adventure, not knowing what other adventures the future may hold for them.





	The First "Old Time"

**Author's Note:**

> Hi All,
> 
> I started this one-shot some time ago and in the midst of some writer's block for my current long story, I decided to go back and finish it. I was enamored with the idea that Jane and Garrus could have met as kids, and what trouble they could have gotten into. You may also recognize a few of the other characters as they might have been around then too. Hope you enjoy it!

Garrus gave another huff of impatience as he made another round of the area outside the Embassy building. His mother had hoped the visit to the Citadel would give his father and him a chance to bond, but that was unlikely to happen if the Citadel’s best detective was called in even when on leave. Leaning back against the railing, he heard his omni tool beep and pulled up his messenger.

_Garrus, it has become a Priority One Investigation. Go back to the apartment, I’ll be late, so use the credit chit I gave you for food and such. I’ll let you know when I am coming home._

Garrus let out a curse his mother would never have wanted to be said in front of Sol. Work always came first, it was the duty expect for every turian, but right now he didn’t care, he just wanted time with his father. Well, he had money and his father wouldn’t know if he saw the new Blasto movie instead. Being tall for his age no one would question that he was too young to get into the movie by himself.

Before Garrus could pull up directions to the nearest theatre, movement from above distracted him. Climbing the vines on the side of the Embassy was a young human. Female with the brightest red fringe he’d ever seen. Given her small stature, he was surprised she was able to drop the last few feet without hurting herself. 

She looked around but froze when she found Garrus nearby, watching her intently.

“Fuck,” was all that she muttered before she took off, sprinting quickly to the right. 

Garrus just managed to catch up and grab her off her feet. “Hold it.” Likely with his latest growth spurt he had at least full a head on her, and a 100 lbs as well.

“Let me go… I didn’t do anything wrong.” The red girl spat, trying to squirm out of his grasp.

“And leaving out a window of a government building is normal behavior for a human?” Garrus asked with snark. “I’m gonna let you go, but first tell me why you’re running?” He wasn’t sure why he asked, but he knew it was important.

She struggled a little more before going limp. “I just… I needed to get away. There is just too much going on.”

Garrus placed her down and asked,“What’s happening?”

Turning her around, he kept a grip on her shoulder, he found the brightness of her wasn’t limited to her pale skin or red hair, but she also had almost turian bright green eyes. Which were currently filling with water? 

She sniffled and wiped the tears away. “We just got in on our cruiser. Supposed to meet my dad for leave, but he was killed… And I just can’t deal with my mom. She only knows how to fight, and thinks this is another battle to be won.”

Garrus was taken aback, not knowing what to say. People died, but he was used to hearing about those taken by old age, or in the line of duty. If her father died on the Citadel, it was probably because of a crime. “I’m sorry. My name is Garrus… Is there anything I could do?”

She wrapped her arms around herself tightly. “I’m Jane. And I guess, is there anywhere I can go, to get away from people. I just need to be alone.”

Garrus thought for minute. The Citadel was the center of the universe, teeming with life. Where could one be alone? 

Thinking of a solution, he grabbed her hand and pulled her in a direction. It didn’t even occur to him it was rude in human culture, at least, not until he reached a maintenance door. Looking back he saw Jane’s wide eyes fixed on his talons wrapped around her too many soft fingers.

Dropping her hand like it was suddenly on fire, Garrus stuttered, “Sorry… I know the talons scare some.”

“Its ok,” Jane said quietly, “I think they're kinda cool.” She gave him a small smile.

Garrus flared his mandibles in return, careful to not show too many teeth. Just one of the troubles of being such an obvious apex predator, it tended to scare other species that followed different evolutionary lines. Turning, he opened the door on to the dark and quiet catwalk. When his father moved here years ago, Garrus read everything he could find on the Citadel, thinking they might move the whole family there. Here they would only have to deal with the Keepers, the creatures that maintained the Citadel. It was as close to alone as one could get on a space station.

Once the door shut and they made their way farther in the red-lit area, Jane released a long breath, and her muscles visible loosened. “What is this place?”

“The catwalk.” Garrus walked a little farther. “Runs through the whole Citadel. Just us, and the Keepers.”

Jane followed him and asked, “The Keepers?”

Around the corner, they found one of them, “The Keepers,” Garrus gestured. “They were here when the Citadel was found. Their not really sentient, but they look after the station. No one knows who or what they are exactly.”

Jane’s eyes grew comically large when she spotted it, “Oh my god, it’s so cute.” Running up, she reached out a hand to touch it, “What’s your name, little guy?”

Garrus grabbed the too many fingers again, “And it's against the law to mess with them. And they don’t speak.”

Jane frowned but pulled the hand away. “Makes them sound like slaves.”

Garrus could see her point, but history proved it couldn’t be changed. “It's more for their safety. Early on the asari found they would self-destruct if tampered with. They don’t harm anyone so we just leave them be.”

“Too bad.” Jane stepped away and went farther in the tunnels. Together they walked, finding things of interest, open areas they could people watch while no one saw. Garrus learned that while she had lived all her life on an Alliance ship, Jane didn’t know much about other alien cultures besides how her mother fought them.

Leaning on one railing Jane watched a group of Batarians, around one of their Pillars of Strength. “I never knew they had a religion. Mom only talks about their slave raids on the colonies.”

Jane had only talked about her mother, not surprising considering she just lost her father. Garrus suspected her father was in the military if the whole family lived on a ship. “What did your father do?”

“He was the chief medical officer.” Jane smiled, lost in a memory. “Mom said it was the only way they could work on a ship together. She might be a captain, but the doctor has the final say if she tried to push herself or the crew too hard. So no worries about breaking regs about relations with a subordinate since technically he wasn't one. He also didn’t care who was a “bad guy”. His job was to save everyone if he could. If they were truly bad it was up to the system to charge them, not a soldier with a bullet. He always said he was a terrible soldier.”

Garrus was taken aback. His father believed the same, that justice was the right way, but good and bad were clearly defined. “Sounds like an interesting man.”

“He is… Was.” She said softly. Turning to him, “So what about you. Is it your job to be a tour guide for human teens?”

Garrus chuckled. “I’m just thirteen. I was supposed to be visiting my father, but his work called him in.”

Jane turned to stare at him in shock, “You're kidding me. I’m older than you?”

“Wait, you are?” Looking at her small size in disbelief before asking, “Just how old are you?”

Jane’s face spilt with a wide and toothy grin. “A lady never tells her age.” She walked past him and down the stairs.

Pausing Garrus processed that before smiling and following, “Who said you were a lady?”

That got the first real laugh out of her. “So kid, what were you going to do before the princess escaped the tower?”

Not understanding the reference, Garrus shrugged, “A movie I guess, there is a new Blasto out.”

Blinking they stepped out into the light of the bustling Citadel. “That doesn’t sound too bad.”

Garrus nodded but looking for a way through the crowd he spotted a couple of C-Sec officers stopping people asking if they knew someone. He could only make out the pale face of a human with a shock of red hair.

Grabbing Jane’s hand, he pulled her the other direction. She looked at him questioningly, “Looks like C-Sec knows you left.” He stopped her from turning around and moved to block the line of sight. “Let's just go this way.”

The problem was, C-Sec wasn’t too far behind them. Ducking into a cafe, he hoped the officers would keep walking.

Pushing Jane behind them, they accidentally bumped an asari’s table. Turning, Jane said just managed to grab a hunk of dead tech they knocked over. Nothing Garrus had ever seen before.

“By the Goddess, be careful with that,” the asari said with a frown, she was a light blue color with odd spots like Jane's. “That’s priceless.”

Jane quickly placed it back, safely on the table. “Sorry… What is it?”

The asari was busy looking at it to make sure there was no damage. “A prothean artifact from my latest dig.” She looked up at Jane a quirked an eyebrow. “You look familiar.”

Jane shook her head quickly, “Nope, sorry. Never met you before…”

Garrus jumped in, seeing the C-Sec moving the opposite way, chances are they had already been through here. “She just has one of those faces… Come on J-John.” It was the first human name that came to mind.

Pulling Jane behind him and out the door, she hissed. “Really John? That’s a bo-.” 

But Jane didn’t finish the complaint as she was shoved to the side by a large barefaced turian. “Watch where you’re going. Stinking pijak.”

Garrus stepped into his path, “That’s not necessary,” he growled.

The barefaced bared his teeth and raised to his full height, which was much taller than Garrus impressive height as a teen. “Stand down fledging. Comeback when your fringe is long enough to mean something. And go get a real female, she is too squishy.” And he pushed past Garrus, walking up to a salaran.

Turning back to Jane, “Sorry about that Jane.”

But she sushed him, eyes on the offensive turian, listening intently. Garrus turned around in time to see the turian smack the salarian on the back of the head. “Fucking idiot, Jareem. An alliance officer, and that bitches mate? We’ll be lucky to get off the station now.” With that, they went into the seedy bar.

Garrus tilted his head, a dead Alliance officer, and mate of someone higher up from the sound of it. Looking at Jane he saw she was thinking about the same coincidence. They shared a nod, and went back into the depths of the catwalk, wanting to see what the turian was talking about. 

It took some trial and error, but eventually, they found one grate opening, showing a private room of the bar, filled with more tough looking aliens. Not sure what to expect Garrus pulled up a recording tool. If this turned out to lead to something, he knew he would need evidence.

“But the goods are safe? And the Blue Sun’s didn’t get out?” The rude turian asked.

“Yes.” A salarian, Jareem, blinked, “We are pretty sure.”

A batrian turned on him again, “If one got away, we are dead! You realize this right?”

The turan leaned on the same wall as the grate with they were watching out of. Garrus could just make out his boots. “We should be more worried about Vakarian. That C-Sec is like varren with a bone. And with Shepard hounding him, he’ll want to finish this even more and get the Alliance off his ass..”

Garrus stiffened as the realization came on him. His father in charge of a case with a murdered Alliance officer, that would be a high profile case… And Jane’s father was Alliance, her mother dealing with C-Sec directly, probably the Shepard they talked about. Garrus looked over to Jane, she had turned her large eyes to him an cocked an eyebrow in question.

Shifting closer, he barely breathed into her ear, “My father is Vakarian.”

Leaning back, there was a pop as the metal of the shaft shifted under his weight.

Outside the turian flipped around and stared at the grate.

“Fuck”, Jane muttered, and they started to back away, not able to turn around in such a cramped space.

Before they could move more than a couple of feet, the grate was ripped off and a long arm reached in. Garrus lashed out at the searching hand but was only able to cut the sleeve before it wrapped three fingers around Jane’s arm and pulled hard. Garrus tried to grab her but missed.

“What do we have here. That little brat from earlier.” The turian said coldly.

“Damn it, that’s Shepard’s girl. I saw her get off the ship.” A gruff voice said.

Scrambling Garrus pulled himself out of the vent. The room was small, but so far no weapons. Seeing the turian holding Jane up by her throat he could hear her struggling to breathe.

Without thinking, he threw himself at the turian, shoulder down, and caught him off guard. Even young, a turian’s carapace was hard and hurt when it made contact with the older turian's midsection.

With a cry, the attack dropped Jane. Half picking her up, Garrus was already using his long legs to get away.

The room opened to a hallway, that led to the loud noise of the bar. The adrenaline was pumping so hard, he could barely hear the music or see the half-naked dancers, and definitely didn’t see the large red krogan they ran into.

Falling back, Garrus kept a hold of Jane, hoping to keep her safe. Behind him he could hear the criminals scrambling to get out of the room and figure out what just happened. Looking back up, he was met with a very scarred krogan face, even his eyes were red, and smelled heavily of ryncol.

“What are you two whelps up too. Seem a little young for Chora’s…”

Garrus froze, he’d never had to talk to a krogan before… Most were guns for hire, and hated turians, so why would he?

Jane was gasping. “Help… They’re gonna kill us…” And hooked a thumb to the group behind them.

What help a drunk krogan was going to be, Garrus didn’t know. He tried to stand, and pull Jane up, determined to get out of the bar.

The red krogan fixed his hard gaze on the pursuers. With a roar, he charged forward, knocking Garrus over, and landed a punch on the leader of the pack. The turain toppled back into the others, knocking them down into a struggling heap.

“Damn Arlok… Didn’t think you liked them this young.” The krogan rumbled, stepping forward while cracking knuckles. With a growl, he started to glow with biotics. “I was hoping for a fight, let’s see if you’ll do.”

And the krogan launched at group again, using biotics to throw them around the room slamming into tables, knocking over glasses. Before putting them in a stasis one by one as they failed to get their feet back under them.

Garrus realized near the end of the unfair fight, that he and Jane were still sitting on the floor. Jane looked on in awe, and whispered, “Awesome…”

And he had to agree, the krogan was impressive.

While their protector was wailing on the batarian, the turian, Arlok, stumbled to his feet and approached from behind.

Jane leaped up, “Don’t even think about it ass hole.” And surprisingly glowed with biotics as well. Her’s weren’t as well controlled, but she was able to pull enough power to throw the would-be attacker back.

Instinct kicking into gear, Garrus charged him and started landing blows how his father taught him. While Garrus was still struggling with shooting, he was a natural at sparring. Arlok barely able to block the attacks on his midsection. Garrus stumbled when the salarian latched onto his fringe but Jane leaped on him with a wild cry, going for the bulbous eyes. Hissing Garrus managed to move back in and get Arlock in a headlock.

By the time he crumbled from lack air, C-Sec officers were there breaking up the crowd and calling for order. At first, Garrus felt relief, but then he noticed Sargent Pallin. The officer recognized him as soon as Garrus spotted him.

“Garrus, what are you doing here? I understood your father sent you home.”

“Hi, Pallin… We were just exploring, and ran into a suspicious group.” Garrus stood up, stepping in front of Jane protectively.

Pallin’s sharp gaze focused on Jane. “Spirits, we’ve been looking everywhere for you. Garrus you have a lot to explain.”

“Yes, sir.” He said reflexively.

Jane’s brow furrowed. “I left on my own. He did nothing wrong. Besides we found the bastards that killed my father!”

Pallin mandibles flared at her used of bad language, before looking at those groaning around them and one very smug krogan.

“Wrex, how did you get dragged into this?”

Wrex shrugged, “Only scum attack kids. Besides, the girl and I could be related with that color of fur.”

“Hair.” She corrected tersely, glaring at the large krogan.

Wrex chest rumbled with a laugh, “And I like her spunk.”

Pallin shook his head. “Get out of here Wrex, before I think of a reason to lock you up.” Turning to the others, “We don’t have anything to take them in on besides public disturbance…”

“What? But they admitted to attacking my father! We heard them.” Jane shouted, sounding panicked.

Garrus stepped up again, pulling up the recording. Pallin listened, then relaxed. “Good enough for me. Let’s get back the Embassy and get this sorted out. Captain Shepard is about to start a war if you don’t get back Miss Shepard.”

Jane sighed, obviously not ready to go back to the reality of the situation. Looking at Garrus she grumbled, “God, she is so over-protective.”

“You have no idea,” Garrus replied, not looking forward to what his father had to say about the whole thing.

Soon the group of officers, criminals, and teens made their way back to the Presidium. Entering the Embassy, they could already hear their parents raised voices.

“Captain, need I remind you, we are doing everything we can to find her.”

A sharp female's voice yelled back, “Clearly it’s not enough! You can’t find my husband’s killers, why should I trust you to find a teenager?”

“Mom!” Jane called out, and an older version of her turned.

Seeing her daughter the elder Shepard broke into a run and grabbed her shoulders. “What the hell do you think you were doing?!”

Jane looked at her feet, somewhat sorry looking. “I know Mom… Just you were so focused, and with Dad gone… I needed time away.”

Garrus looked away from the parent-child moment, to face his own father’s scowl.

“Garrus, you were supposed to be home by now.”

Garrus scuffed his foot, knowing there was no way he could lie to a detective. “Sorry, Father. But I found her outside, and she looked like she needed help. I didn’t know at first she was a runner.” That didn’t stop the fact he helped her avoid those looking for her. A lie by omission was the best he could manage.

Pallin broke the tension when he stepped forward. “Sir, the kids were found in the middle of a fight. They manage to find Dr. Shepard’s attackers. Even got a confession on tape.”

The captain rounded on his father again. “Your reckless son dragged my daughter after murderers?”

His father bristled from the accusation. “Excuse me, but if your delinquent daughter hadn’t dragged him off with her runaway delusions…” 

And the argument started again.

Jane motioned to Garrus, and the two sleep into a quieter corridor.

Turning to him, she smiled. “Well, that’s one way to cheer a girl up. Finding and beating the crap out of bad guys.”

Mandibles flaring in a smile, he tried to be smooth and motioned to his body. “Helps when you're this stylish.” It might have worked if he wasn’t still covered in dust from the vents or spill drinks from the bar.

Jane laughed and reached up to touch his face softly, “The stripper glitter helps.” Pulling her hand away she should him the sparkly residue.

“Damn.”

Her face became more serious. “But, really, thanks Garrus.”

“Of course.”

Jane smirked a little. “You know, a princess saved from a tower might grant the knight a kiss.”

Still, Garrus had no idea what she meant, but he knew a kiss was something other species did as a sign of affection or love.

“Really?”

Reaching up again, she gently pulled him to her shorter height. All the while searching his eyes with her green ones, giving him plenty of time to stop it. Garrus never would say he was attracted to humans. But Jane, well she was intriguing, and well, she was Jane.

For a moment Garrus thought she was going to bring her lips to his mouth plates. But last second changed so their forehead touched. A much more intimate gesture for turians, something only mates did.

Garrus was breathless and couldn’t hold back a shiver.

“Thanks, big guy.” She whispered with a smile.

“Jane!”

“Garrus.”

The sounds of their parents made them jump apart.

The captain frowned at the pair, “Come on. We need to go back to the ship.”

Jane moved to follow before giving Garrus a wave and a smirk. Garrus barely remembered to wave back.

His father stepped next to him, watching the human family leave. “Garrus, you will be given an escort home. While the confession helped it was still a stupid move. I have a bit of paperwork to finish. We’ll discuss this in the morning.”

“Yes, sir.”

In the skycar ride, Garrus had time to think the last few hours over. Sol would be jealous as none other, and almost made the impending discussion with his father worthwhile.

Then he thought back on Jane. Never in his wildest dreams did he think he’d have a human friend, or that she would have stolen his first mate greeting. Or kiss as she called it.

Spirits, Garrus kicked himself… He never got her number!

**Author's Note:**

> ... I didn't promise it would be a human kiss. And adds a bit of backstory to the head bump that was woefully no enough in the game. Thanks for reading! And I swear I am working on the much-demanded sequel to Archangels fury! Just needed a break.


End file.
